Vegan skincare is one of the fastest-growing segments in the beauty market, and the label appears on more products every year. But what “vegan” means in skincare is not as comprehensive as many buyers assume. Understanding exactly what the claim does and does not cover helps you make decisions that align with what you actually care about, whether that is animal welfare, environmental impact, or ingredient safety.
What vegan skincare means by definition
In skincare, vegan means the product contains no animal-derived ingredients. No animal by-products of any kind. That includes obvious things like lanolin (from sheep’s wool), beeswax, honey, and collagen, and also less obvious ones like carmine (a red pigment from crushed cochineal insects), squalane derived from shark liver (as opposed to the plant-derived version from sugarcane or olives), keratin from animal hair or horns, and hyaluronic acid derived from animal joints or rooster combs (most modern production uses microbial fermentation, but not all).
A product labelled vegan does not contain any of these ingredients. That is a clear, specific, verifiable claim when properly certified.
What vegan does not mean
Vegan is not the same as cruelty-free. These are distinct claims that are frequently confused and sometimes deliberately conflated in marketing.
Cruelty-free means the product and its ingredients were not tested on animals. A product can be entirely plant-based (vegan) but its ingredients may have been tested on animals either by the company or by suppliers in markets where it is legally required (notably China, which requires animal testing for imported cosmetics, though this is changing for general cosmetics as of 2021 reforms). Conversely, a product can be cruelty-free, meaning no animal testing, while still containing animal-derived ingredients like beeswax or lanolin.
For a product to be both vegan and cruelty-free, it needs to satisfy both conditions independently. Certifications from organisations like PETA, Leaping Bunny, or the Vegan Society verify different aspects. The Vegan Society trademark confirms no animal ingredients and no animal testing. Leaping Bunny certifies no animal testing throughout the supply chain. Check which certification is present rather than assuming any one label covers all your concerns.
Vegan is not the same as natural or organic
This conflation is extremely common. A product can be vegan and entirely synthetic. Synthetic fragrances, petrochemical-derived emollients, and a full complement of synthetic preservatives can all be present in a vegan product. There is nothing in the vegan claim that says anything about naturalness, organic farming, sustainability of ingredients, or environmental impact.
Equally, a natural skincare product can be non-vegan. Beeswax, honey, lanolin, and silk protein are all natural ingredients, all non-vegan. Some of the most environmentally sustainable skincare products contain byproducts from local sustainable beekeeping that vegans would not use.
If you are looking for natural and organic skincare specifically, look for certifications from COSMOS, ECOCERT, or NATRUE, which regulate the origin and processing of ingredients. These standards are separate from vegan certification.
Common animal-derived ingredients to know
If you are choosing vegan skincare and reading ingredient lists yourself rather than relying solely on the label:
- Lanolin (and lanolin alcohol, lanolin acid) from wool
- Beeswax (cera alba), honey (mel), royal jelly, propolis
- Carmine (CI 75470), also listed as cochineal extract or natural red 4
- Collagen from animal tissue (plant-derived collagen does not exist; what is called “vegan collagen” is usually a collagen-supporting ingredient rather than collagen itself)
- Elastin from animal sources
- Squalane from shark liver (check the source; plant-derived is now the standard in most quality products)
- Keratin from hair or animal horns
- Silk (serica, hydrolysed silk) from silkworms
- Glycerine can be animal-derived (from tallow) or plant-derived; most modern cosmetic glycerine is plant-based but it is worth checking with smaller producers
The environmental picture is more complex
Vegan skincare is sometimes assumed to have a lower environmental footprint than products containing animal derivatives. The reality is more complicated. Some vegan alternatives have significant environmental costs of their own. Palm oil and its derivatives appear in many vegan formulations and are associated with deforestation. Synthetic alternatives to natural waxes may require significant energy and chemical input to produce.
Some animal-derived ingredients, when sustainably and ethically sourced, have a lower footprint than their synthetic alternatives. Beeswax from local sustainable beekeeping is a reasonable example. The ethical calculation here requires looking beyond the vegan label to the full supply chain of the product.
HOIA’s position
HOIA products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free, which means neither animal testing nor animal-derived ingredients in the formulations. This aligns with the brand’s commitment to natural, ethical cosmetics produced in Saaremaa. The botanical ingredients sourced from the local Estonian environment, fermented plant extracts, and carefully chosen natural actives replace the animal-derived components that appear in more conventional cosmetic formulations.
Reading the label properly
When evaluating a “vegan” claim, look for third-party certification rather than self-declaration. A Vegan Society trademark or equivalent certification means the claim has been independently verified. A self-declared “vegan formula” on the label means the brand is making the claim without external verification.
Decide what matters most to you: animal ingredients, animal testing, natural origin, organic certification, sustainability. Each of these has its own set of indicators and certifications. The vegan label covers only the first item on that list, and understanding that is the starting point for making genuinely informed choices.